Melting Ice Caps Could Spell Disaster

Global climate warming is having many detrimental effects on multiple regions of the world. One of the most harshly affected areas is the Arctic. The drastic increase of the average temperature in the Arctic is gradually causing one of the biggest natural hazards ever to plague the earth. Proof of climate change is seen in the Arctic by the major decrease in sea ice that many animals depend on for survival. This summer we saw the lowest sea-ice extent since at least 1979, and the last 5 years have been the lowest ever recorded. The survival of the entire wild Polar bear species is riding on these ever thinning sheets of ice. During the winter months they use them to hunt for food and create a store of energy they use throughout the summer where they reside on land. If the ice sheets continue to break up earlier and earlier they will not have enough time to store a sufficent amount of energy to reproduce and survive.

Humans are also being affected by the drastic melting of ice, not just in the arctic, but around the world. The glacier that covers a significant part of Greenland is breaking apart at an alarming rate. Although the breaking up of ice is a natural process, it has been increasing at very unusual rates. Looking at these rates it is getting harder and harder to dispute the idea that we are the cause of this and we are creating a catastrophic natural hazard. It has been projected that if all the major ice stores on the earth were to melt, sea levels would rise 200 feet. When taking into consideration what cities are on the coast, this is heavy information. The megalopolis along the East coast of the U.S. along with the major cities of New York and Los Angeles would all be under water and would have a detrimental affect on the U.S. and the world, not just with loss of life but with loss of information and technologies. 

The melting ice gives us a small look into the future and it seems to be a warm and gloomy one as long as we don't make an effort to reduce our carbon emissions and other contributions that are catalyzing global warming. The melting of the arctic ice is just the beginning of a waterfall of natural hazards.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthpicturegalleries/8204241/Polar-bears-could-be-saved-by-a-big-enough-reduction-in-greenhouse-gas-emissions.html?image=1

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2095114,00.html

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/sciencefair/post/2011/02/polar-bears-population-decline-arctic-sea-ice-global-warming-climate-change/1

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/44353322/ns/today-today_news/t/second-giant-ice-island-set-break-greenland-glacier/#.ToKjUtTbxPw